Shattered
by lostinabook
Summary: A series of short fics written for the 30angsts community on Livejournal, starring Rue. Spoilers for entire series. Theme #10: Messenger. "Four simple words that should have been so easy to say." DISCONTINUED.
1. Who am I?

Fandom: Princess Tutu  
Title: Who am I?  
Theme: #6: Curiosity (listen to your heart cry)  
Character: Rue  
Rating: K+  
Disclaimer: Princess Tutu does not belong to me; it is the property of Ito Ikuko.  
Summary: Takes place during Act VIII (Episode 8), while Rue tries to remember what happened the night she first transformed into Kraehe.

"_STOP!_"

And just like that, he was gone.

If only everything in her life could be as easy.

Rue slowly removed her hands from over her ears, half-expecting another question from her love's heart shard to cut her to the core, but she was greeted only by a welcome silence, and a soft red glow from the black velvet box.

In another moment, she had shut the box and thrown it into her drawer, still shocked and surprised. She stood there for a long moment, trying to catch her scattered thoughts, which were beating against each other like angered birds.

Rue focused on the simple facts. Firstly, she had (somehow) obtained a piece of her Prince's shattered heart, an event which she had no memory of. Secondly, said piece of heart had then riddled her with questions, which meant that it was the feeling of Curiosity, or something around those lines. Thirdly, she had no idea what to do next.

The ballet student slowly walked away from her dresser and sat down on her bed, automatically drawing her knees to her chest.

_Think, Rue. There has to be a logical solution for all this…_

She certainly wasn't letting that heart shard out of the box again. Even though she had done it accidentally, the questions that it had asked her weren't something that she wanted to think about right now. Personal pain aside, letting the heart shard out would only mean that Princess Tutu would find it _again_, and then she would return it to Mytho…

_Mytho… My prince…_

What would happen to Mytho if he continued to gain back pieces of his heart? Would he continue to stay with her? Or would he—

Rue refused to finish the thought. It was silly to even consider it. _Princess Tutu, a rival….hah._ She had always been with Mytho, and would always love him—he knew that.

Didn't he?

…_The heart shard. Think about the heart shard. _

Maybe she could ask Fakir…?

No, that was a stupid idea. Fakir hated her. He never wanted anyone to be anywhere near Mytho, and for someone to openly be his girlfriend…

Also, if something had happened with Princess Tutu and the heartshards last night, it was most likely that Fakir already knew about it. Mytho told Fakir everything. He didn't understand what it meant to keep some things to himself. And if she had been involved in… whatever happened last night, the odds were that the overbearing best friend knew about _that_ too.

Besides, he probably wouldn't be much help to her anyway. Even the idea of talking to him on such a subject sounded idiotic. They both wanted the same thing—to keep Mytho as he was, heartless and perfect. They merely had different ideas of achieving those ends.

Which meant that Rue was on her own to come up with a solution to her paradox. She frowned into her knees. The truth was that she wanted it gone, far, far away from anywhere it could find her and pester her with questions that she couldn't answer…

**Who are you?**

**Why did you bring me back with you?**

**Why do you don black feathers?**

**Do you have a special power dwelling within you?**

**Who are you, really?**

…_But why would it ask me such questions?_ Rue's brows furrowed. _What happened last night?_

She closed her eyes for a long moment and thought.

Her mind was a maelstrom of black feathers. They closed the gates to her memory on all sides, refusing to let her through.

Don't look, you shouldn't see…

But Rue had already found what she had wanted just outside the gate.

_Last night…_

_I saw Princess Tutu return a piece of Mytho's heart to him. Mytho also wished for its return…_

_And then… I saw that…_

_And after that…_

_What…?_

_Who…Who am I?_

**Who are you, really?**

Feathers… black feathers…

Everywhere…

"_Give it back!"_

Red eyes glinting in the darkness…

"_I will give you nothing. I will let you do__** nothing**__."_

_Who am I…?_

Rue slowly turned to stare at her dresser. Red light was seeping through the cracks. Her eyes narrowed.

There was only one thing left for her to do, then.

She would keep the heart shard. She would hide it away where no one could find it. Everything would stay the same… Mytho would still be hers, as it was meant to be.

She wouldn't worry any more about the questions the heart shard had asked her. They were stupid, pointless and a waste of her time.

It didn't matter if she was someone else. She was Rue now, and always would be.

The red light flared, as if bursting to ask another question, but then faded away inexplicably.


	2. Fate

Fandom: Princess Tutu  
Title: Fate  
Author: lostinabook  
Theme: #16: Appropriate; Are you sure? (against temptation)  
Character: Rue  
Rating: K+  
Disclaimer: Princess Tutu does not belong to me. It is the property of Ito Ikuko  
Summary: Takes place directly after the scene where Autor confesses his love for Rue (Act XXII; Episode 22), and Rue does not understand why she acted the way she did.

Rue understood now. The fool wore glasses because he was blind to the evil that stood right in front of him.

If he knew so much about this town, about the story, about Drosselmeyer—_everything! He knew everything_—then why would he even allow himself to entertain an idea as stupid and illogical as _falling in love with the daughter of the Raven? _

Surely, he had known that he was putting his entire life in danger by letting her know about his sudden weakness. He couldn't know so much and then _conveniently_ forget that ravens ate hearts.

_Why, why, why, why?_

It would have been too easy to make him sacrifice his heart right then and there. Rue could easily picture the fool accepting the embrace of her raven's wings…

But when the moment was ripe…

What had made her reconsider?

Something in the tone of his voice, something in his eyes… something in the way he blushed as he said those words…

_It seems I've fallen in love with you._

Something about him… made Rue realize that they were the same. They were both helplessly, hopelessly, and inexplicably in love.

_Tell me that you love me._

_I love you, Rue._

She completely understood what the fool was feeling. The utter helplessness that overtook one as they gazed into their eyes…

But _she_ was different, of course. _She_ had been attracted to Mytho for a logical reason. That fool, well… he had only developed feelings for her _because she had wanted him to_.

Rue had known from the moment that he appeared that this was the one that would give her the answers that she was looking for.

_All I want is to love and be loved..._

Her prince was in pain… Her father so demanding… Rue didn't know what to do, where to turn.

_He said that he would give his heart to the Raven…_

_The only solution… would be to find a heart before Princess Tutu puts Mytho's back together._

Drosselmeyer _had_ to have been watching. There was no other explanation. The odds that a perfect candidate for sacrifice would fall right into her path…

There was no such thing as fate in Kinkan Town.

That was something that the fool understood as well.

_In the end, everyone's a marionette. _

And so she led him away, deep into the theater, waiting for the opportune moment to ask the final question…

_Do you love me enough to give me your beautiful and pure heart?_

But the fool had kept talking… It was as if he had never spoken to anyone before in his life. His thoughts, his theories, his dreams continuously spilled out of him, as though there was no end.

Rue knew that he was correct, of course. The town _was_ being controlled by story; more accurately, stories written by the same man that the fool evidently idolized. She could care less about those facts, however; all Rue wanted was _her prince_.

She could have solved everything. She could have freed Mytho, banished the Raven's hunger, lived happily ever after…

But the fool kept babbling…

And Rue heard herself.

_It seems I've fallen in love with you._

_Tell me that you love me._

Rue had read a story about vampires once. Shunned by all, they were the pinnacle of evil, violators of religion, moral conduct, and young girls. They fed on others only to increase their own lifespan, an undead testament to their own hatred of society. What better way to enact their selfish revenge by eternally damning others?

At the time, Rue had only passed it off as a story, not yet realizing that she was living in one.

Was the Raven any different from a vampire?

More to the point, was she?

The ravens in the story fed on human hearts, their leader immortal, their blood forever tainted.

They had the power of seduction on their side—they could make their prey come to them _of their own free will_.

_It seems I've fallen in love with you._

But she simply could not take his life.

_He knew_. But he still loved.

Rue had been drawn to Mytho the same way that her prince was later drawn to Princess Tutu.

_But that didn't make it fate._

She knew what it was like to be turned upon. She knew the pain. But it was necessary. She wouldn't pretend with him, they way Mytho had allowed her to do.

Rue knew that he would move on. Forget. Find someone else.

That was why she could not take his heart. The fool was stronger than she was.

As for her… she was bound to Mytho, story or no story.

"…_Just go home."_


	3. Tragedy

Fandom: Princess Tutu  
Title: Tragedy  
Author: lostinabook  
Theme: #2: Toys (For when you die, I'll be there for you) & #26: Under your skin (surreal reality)  
Character: Rue  
Rating: K+  
Disclaimer: Princess Tutu does not belong to me; it is the property of Ito Ikuko. Also, the verse quoted in the story is from Anne Sexton's "Cinderella."  
Summary: Following her happily ever after, Rue receives a warning…

**WARNING: This chapter is a post-ending fic, and contains spoilers for the end of the series. If you have not finished the series, please consider this before reading.**

--

The wedding was _perfect_, just like everything else in her new life.

Mytho (_her prince_, who was called Siegfried now) had insisted that the dominant color of the ceremony be white—purity, chastity, goodness, and all things connected to Rue's new world. The flowers, the tablecloths, the guest's clothing, her prince's hair—all were colored a blinding _white_.

At first, strangely enough, she had been opposed to the idea.

"_I'd look_ _ridiculous, Mytho. Do you_ want _your people to know about—"_

_She couldn't finish the sentence._

_Her prince merely laughed._ _"You'll only look more stunning surrounded by such color, my love. After all, I only want you to look every inch the fairy-tale princess that you are."_

Rue was glad that she had listened to him, even though it was still strange for her to hear Mytho voice his opinion. Her raven-black hair had shone like a starless night bordered by a full moon, and her eyes had glittered like the rarest of rubies as she was eternally joined with the only person that she had ever truly loved.

_I suppose that he really is 'my prince' now._

The thought made Rue smile to herself, something that she was doing more and more often lately. Mytho had told her recently that he loved it when she smiled, and she hadn't been able to stop doing so since.

The ball was over, the feast eaten, the wedding ceremony completed. The day had gone by like a blur. Rue had never seen so many people in one place in her entire life. Apparently, not only the citizens from the surrounding town had attended, but people from all over Mytho's kingdom had traveled out to see their long-lost prince's wedding day.

The dancing had been Rue's favorite part, however. She and Mytho had preformed an elegant _pas de deux_ to open the festivities. Rue would have had to have been blind not to notice the awed look on some of the guest's faces. It seemed that they had expected her to be a pretty face with no talents, nothing more.

_Just like a doll._

And now Rue was walking through the gardens, alone, hearing the soft echoes of the guests calling goodbye to each other as she tried to engrave the feeling of pure happiness onto her heart forever.

She had been slightly surprised that Mytho had been so willing to let her go off by herself (they were newlyweds, after all), even if she had asked for some time alone as a favor.

"_Do whatever makes you happy, my princess."_

The memory made Rue smile all the more. Who would have guessed that she could ever be so _happy_?

She stopped for a moment to look up at the moon. Coupled with the stars, they cast a pale light upon the surrounding landscape, making everything appear to be colored a soft blue. Rue's wedding dress—the same that she had worn when the story had ended, made of white feathers that rejected her role as the Raven Princess—seemed to glow with an unearthly quality.

It wasn't that she had _wanted_ to leave Mytho to be by herself. Quite the contrary. She couldn't be near him enough. However, the concept of happiness was a new feeling to Rue. Due to her… unusual upbringing, it had become a feeling solely tied to accomplishing the task her father had set her to do. Now, to feel happiness of its own accord… Rue wanted to memorize every last detail of the day and savor it completely before she returned to her prince, and, subsequently, more happiness.

All was still. The memory of the _pas de deux_ continued to run through Rue's mind… All of their love and devotion for each other had been contained in that dance… All the pain and suffering that had lead up to their happily ever after simply forgotten, and they could see nothing but each other…

"**Well, well, well.**"

Rue gasped aloud and spun around wildly but saw no one. She knew that voice…

_It can't be…_

"**Oh, yes it can, Kraehe. It is I, Drosselmeyer!**"

This couldn't be real. This wasn't happening. He couldn't… Hadn't Fakir broken the machine in the tower? Had he found another way to write stories? She wouldn't… she couldn't let him…

"Stay away from us! Or didn't you learn anything the first time?!"

Strange laughter echoed from everywhere, yet nowhere. "**No need to fret, Princess. I cannot touch your perfect little ending. My descendant made sure of **_**that**_**.**" There was a hint of frustration in his voice.

"**But, that doesn't mean that I still can't watch. You wouldn't begrudge a poor old man his last desire, would you?**"

"You're dead, and your story nearly killed all of us. If you're looking for pity, you won't find it here."

"**Ah, Kraehe. Always the feisty girl. That's what made you such a good counterpoint to Tutu. While she embodied grace and hopefulness, you symbolized beauty and predestination. Such a predicament, choosing between the two of you. I wonder how the Prince did it.**"

His mocking tone wasn't lost on Rue. "Mytho made his choice of his own free will, with all of his heart shards intact. And stop calling me _Kraehe_."

"**But you are still Kraehe at heart, aren't you? Still bound by raven's blood to your prince, for better or for worse.**"

"That is because I love him," Rue said automatically. She was beginning to seethe with anger. What was the point of the old man bothering her if he no longer had his words?

"But _I_ don't need to tell _you_ that. _You're_ the writer. You knew about _everything_."

"…**Yes, yes. Quite right. I **_**do**_** know everything.**" Rue could almost see him smiling, with his wide teeth and bug eyes on a perfectly symmetrical face…

"**I haven't stopped watching you, you know. All of you. **_**The beginning is the end, the end a beginning**_**. Ask my descendant about that, if you happen to see him. Just because the story ended doesn't mean that the new one isn't bound by the same ties.**"

"What do you mean?!" It was a gut reaction. She knew that she wouldn't get an answer.

"_**You**_** know what I'm talking about, **_**Kraehe**_**.**"

Rue's eyes narrowed, and her voice became sharp and cold. "_I am not Kraehe_."

More laughter. "**Do you truly believe that? How delightful. This will make for an interesting story.**"

Rue's hands tightened into fists. "I don't need to listen to this. You can't hurt anyone anymore." She began to walk away.

But the writer's voice still followed after her, mockingly. "**Look at the beautiful princess, deeply in love with her handsome prince. But has anything truly changed from what she used to be? Is she not still bound by the same emotions?**"

"_You don't know anything_."

"_**They lived, they say, happily ever after,  
**__**Like two dolls in a museum case,  
**__**Never bothered by diapers or dust,  
**__**Never arguing over the timing of an egg,  
**__**Never telling the same story twice,  
**__**Never getting a middle-aged spread,  
**__**Their darling smiles pasted on for eternity…**_"

"Why can't you just drop into the same hellhole that the raven who claimed to be my father fell into?!"

"**Temper, Kraehe. Temper. As I said before, there is nothing that **_**I**_** can do. I'm only speaking to you out of my own boredom.**"

"Consider your boredom appeased, then. I'm returning to my prince."

"**Are you sure that is wise, Kraehe?**"

"…What?"

"**The prince's heart is whole once more, but even he admitted that it is still being affected by the raven's blood. Do you think that it is best for him to be married to a person with the same condition? Or, to put it more accurately, the person that tainted him in the first place?**"

Rue stood stationary on the steps leading back up to the castle.

"**Ah, you see my point. Allow me to continue. If, perchance, Mytho had chosen Tutu instead of you, what would you have done?**"

"Rotted in the Depths of Despair."

"**No, assume that didn't happen. Assume that Tutu was the one who confessed her love, and, by some fluke, did not disappear into a flash of light. Assume that the Prince chose her as his Princess, and you were left alone. What would you do?**"

"…"

Drosselmeyer chuckled. "**And you thought that the tragic ending had been averted! You're only partially correct. Imagine how little Duck feels, having sacrificed everything for a **

**person that she also loved, only to be condemned to never be with **_**anyone**_**, no matter how strong her love.**"

"…I never…"

"**I just thought that I'd let you know, Kraehe." **The glee was back in his voice now.** "After all, there's nothing I enjoy more than **_**tragedy**_**.**"

Rue ran up the stairs, ripping the hem out of her dress. Feathers were everywhere, no longer giving her a new identity, but mocking her for having stolen a place that should have been someone else's.

She threw open the double doors that led into the ballroom. The prince—_her prince_—stood alone in the middle of the floor, where they had danced their _pas de deux _only a few hours before.

"Rue! What happened? Is something wrong?"

She loved him. She loved him so much that it hurt. She loved how he ran to her, wrapping her in his arms and making her feel, if only for a moment, _happy_.

But… but now… Rue knew better than to listen to the words of that deranged author… but…

Now it felt entirely wrong to be happy, knowing that it was at the cost of someone else.

"Did something scare you? Was someone out in the garden?"

"M-Mytho…"

"Rue."

"…T-Tell me… that you love me."

"…What? Rue, what happened to you? You know that—"

"_Just tell me_!" She buried her head in his shoulder, sobbing and clutching him without ever wanting to let go.

_Like a doll._

_A beautiful doll, in the guise of a princess, only alive when animated by the love of her prince._

"I love you Rue."

For the first time that Rue could remember, those words weren't enough to make her stop crying.


	4. Beginning of Obsession

Fandom: Princess Tutu  
Title: Beginning of Obsession  
Author: lostinabook  
Theme: #5: True Love (seeking for you)  
Character: Rue  
Rating: K+  
Disclaimer: Princess Tutu does not belong to me; it is the property of Ito Ikuko.  
Summary: A young Kraehe reflects on her meeting with the Prince. **Spoilers for the second season.**

--

Her father's love could easily be misconstrued as hate.

She knew better, however. His temper didn't have anything to do with _her_. Poor Father had been trapped in this limbo universe for a _long time_, neither fully in reality nor able to return to the story which he had fought so hard to escape. It was reasonable to expect outbursts every now and again.

But Father was easily frustrated… and _that_ part was entirely her fault. The Raven Princess, reborn as little more than a worthless human… Why had she chosen such a fate for herself in her previous life? Hadn't she understood the pain that it would cause her father?

_If she had known then what she knew now…_

Kraehe sat quietly, looking out across the barren landscape. One could run as far as they could in any direction and still not escape the sound of Father's ragged breathing. There was nothing else here, save for the mile-high white feathers which covered the place, their soft glow never seeming to fade.

She had to try harder to keep Father happy, to make up for the pain that she had caused him. It was true that he got mad and scared her sometimes, but she knew that he had her best interests at heart, despite being unworthy of any of his love.

A movement on the floor caught her eye. If she looked carefully enough, she could _just_ see her reflection in the inky darkness of the polished ground.

Anyone in the _real world_ who saw her would think that she was just another human child, albeit a little strange with her red eyes and black dress. Who would ever guess that she was the daughter of a raven?

Her mind suddenly wandered… She was thinking of _that day_ again.

Rue could feel something stirring in her very bones. Nothing had changed, and yet everything was different.

_The _prince_. My _prince_._

Father had been right… By all accounts, she should hate him more than anything else. But, despite knowing the truth of what he had done—_imprisoning poor Father!_—Kraehe simply _couldn't_ hate him.

From the moment that his eyes met hers, empty and lifeless though they were, she had been utterly _spellbound_.

It had been nearly a week ago now… Father had gotten mad and chased her with ravens again for a reason that, at the time, Kraehe couldn't figure out. There was not much that she could do when Father was in a mood like that, other than beg his forgiveness. And then…

_And then…_

A ridiculously giddy feeling bubbled up through her, making her smile. With a gasp, she covered up her mouth as though the smile were a tangible thing that she could catch.

Father didn't like it when she smiled.

_What is there for you to be pleased about, Kraehe?! A dutiful daughter would repent the pain that you have given me, and be thankful that they haven't been cut away from my love!_

Kraehe shivered involuntarily. To lose her father's love…! She couldn't stand the idea.

But now…

_What's your name?_

What Father had said must be true… A Prince who loved everyone could surely love someone as flawed and unworthy as she. But, for the first time in her life, her feelings were not defined by what her father said. To be loved…simply _loved_, regardless of familial connections or beauty or rank… She hadn't realized until now how badly she had wanted that.

_When will I see you again?_

At first, the way he spoke had surprised her. Even though she knew that he didn't have a heart, it was still strange to hear someone talk in a monotone, to act without reason, to frame a question purely because they did not understand.

He was little more than a _shell_… If Kraehe hadn't known better, then she never would have thought that _he_ was the one who sealed Father away.

But there was _something_…

When their eyes had met, it was as though the entire world has opened up to her. Her past had led her to that moment, her future was tied with his, and her present was mere survival until she could see him again.

_Father said that only he and the prince can truly love me… But… without a heart, how can he?_

Once again, Kraehe contemplated the strange feeling surging through her veins. Was this…love?

The prince made her feel completely different than when she was around her father. Maybe it was because he was without feelings, incapable of judgment for better or for worse. She felt _free _around him. When the prince looked at her, he didn't see an oddly dressed little girl or the unworthy Raven Princess. He remembered nothing, he knew _nothing_. She could become a completely different person entirely.

When the prince looked at her, Kraehe became Rue.

_Father is right. He will love me. I will show him how._

The prince was so helpless, so lost. He was alone in his troubles, just like her. Until now, all she had needed to survive was her father's love. Now…

It didn't matter. Nothing mattered except that she had found _her prince_. Her father must love her, since he had shown her the path to further happiness.

It wouldn't be long before she saw him again. Her blood surged in anticipation, making her dizzy.

She didn't have to understand what exactly she was feeling, not yet. It was enough to know that she loved him and that they were destined to be together.

The truth was apparent. Everything else would fall into place.

Kraehe listened to her father's rattling breathing for a moment. She closed her eyes and tried to picture the way the sun reflected on her prince's hair...


	5. The Bliss of Ignorance

Fandom: Princess Tutu  
Title: The Bliss of Ignorance  
Author: lostinabook  
Theme: #10 : Messenger (you belong to no one)  
Character: Rue  
Rating: K+  
Disclaimer: Princess Tutu does not belong to me; it is the property of Ito Ikuko  
Summary: One important forgotten detail can change everything in a moment. Continues the plotline started in "Tragedy."

"A message for you, my queen. It just arrived at the gate."

Rue plucked the plain-looking envelope from the silver tray. It was far different from the ornately decorated letters that the nobles who oversaw the kingdom sent periodically. Those letters were always suffocated with over-inflated language and suffered from such an overdose of flourishes that the paper more closely resembled an ivy-covered wall. It was rather refreshing to see such plain paper, obviously sent by someone who didn't feel the need to impress.

She opened the envelope silently as the servant rushed off to perform some other unknown task. The paper inside was plain as well, and addressed simply "To Mytho and Rue." She blinked, uncomprehending for a moment. Rue was the only one who called the prince Mytho; no one else in the castle (or the kingdom, for that matter) understood the meaning behind the "nickname."

Unless…

Rue's eyes quickly scanned the first half of the letter, uncharacteristically exclaiming in delight.

"Mytho!" She ran down the hallway towards her prince's chambers. "Mytho! It's a letter from Fakir! They're coming to visit us!"

The door swung open with a mere push. Rue stopped short, momentarily struck by how regal her prince appeared. He was standing by one window, hands crossed behind his back, gazing out, looking every bit the royal prince he was born to be.

"Mytho," she said again, remembering why she had come. The prince turned, smiling as soon as he saw her, making her heart skip a beat.

"Rue. What is it?"

"A letter came." She handed it to him, another smile blossoming on her lips in excitement. "It's from Fakir. They're coming to see us."

Rue sat down in a nearby chair as Mytho read the letter himself. Her mind was spinning with the news and in anticipation. She needed to plan something special for their arrival. Some sort of party, maybe? No… that would be far too public and out of character for them, really. She could hardly see Fakir being excited about a bunch of fanfare due to his presence. And as for Ahiru…

She'd probably feel more left out than anything else.

_Imagine how little Duck feels, having sacrificed everything for a person that she also loved, only to be condemned never to be with_ anyone_, no matter how strong her love._

Rue bit her lip. As good as her intentions were, she couldn't lie to herself about the meaning behind them. She was genuinely happy that she would be able to see Fakir and Ahiru again… She owed everything to them…

But… She would have to be a fool to think that a mere party to make up for what she had put them both through for her own gain.

"I don't understand."

Rue looked up to see Mytho still reading the letter with a confused expression on his face. "Why does he say that he's going to bring Ahiru?"

Rue blinked. "Surely you're joking."

"Well…I mean…" Mytho seemed to be straining to find the right words. "She was… a very nice person, but I can't say that I was close to her. Sometimes it seemed like… she knew _something_ about… "

A cold chill of understanding swept through Rue as Mytho trailed off on his thoughts.

_He doesn't know?_

The shock must have registered on her face, since Mytho suddenly turned to her with a concerned look. "Rue? What's wrong?"

"I thought… That you had…"

"Had what?"

"…Guessed for yourself."

"…A guess? Rue, what are you talking about? And why are you so pale…?" He took a step towards her, but Rue shook her head.

"Mytho… Ahiru was Princess Tutu."

Four simple words that should have been so easy to say. Why did they feel like weights crushing down on her heart?

Even worse was watching her prince's face change from a look of concern to that of a mixture of shock, surprise, and pain. The silence was choking.

"I thought… that you knew." Her voice sounded as if it belonged to someone else.

Mytho stumbled away from her. "Ahiru was… Ahiru was…"

He collapsed on the floor.

"MYTHO!" Rue rushed to his side, cradling his head in her lap.

_I thought that you knew!_

She hadn't expected him to react this way. Well… she had expected him to be surprised, at the very least, but… Rue stroked his hair worriedly.

The look that he had in his eyes…

Why was she suddenly thinking of ravens?

_Love only me! Hate everyone else!_

"Rue."

She shook her head, dispelling the resurfaced memory of Mytho as the Raven Prince.

"Are you all right?"

"Why didn't you tell me?"

Her hands unconsciously tightened around locks of his hair.

"…I'm sorry."

He turned away from her, gazing at the opposite wall. "You didn't _lie_ to me, exactly… But you weren't entirely truthful, either."

And there was that glint in his eye again…

"…Mytho?"

"The letter said… that they should be here in a few days."

He sat up slowly, brushing away her hands she tried to help him. It was worse than if he had shouted at her. Rue wished that he would.

"Never hide anything from me."

His voice had become cold while still sounding neutral. Rue could hardly stand it.

"I'm _sorry_, Mytho! I… didn't think that you would take it this way! I thought that you already knew! I don't—"

Rue's words were cut off as his gaze caught hers. He had _never_ looked at her this way—not a look of anger, but of pure abhorrence.

His voice stayed the same. "_Of course_. It's always about _your_ perspective of events, isn't it?"

Rue's eyes widened in shock. This was wrong. Her prince wouldn't say things like that to her. He was always gentle and kind… She couldn't believe that her statement had affected him that deeply.

"Mytho, you know that I didn't—"

"_I don't want to hear it!_" His eyes flashed red.

Rue's hand flew to her mouth, stifling a scream.

_It can't be. It_ can't _be. The effect of the Raven's blood was stopped, wasn't it? _

"I don't want to hear _excuses_ or _apologies_."

Rue instinctively shrunk back. For the first time in a while, she was _scared_ of him.

Mytho rose shakily to his feet. "…Leave me alone."

"…M-Mytho!"

"_What?_"

Startled again, Rue fell back on the floor.

Somehow… Somehow telling him the truth about Ahiru had awakened the Raven in him.

"I _thought_ so."

With a final red-eyed glare, he slammed the door shut behind him.


End file.
